As set out in Working Together (2026), the Lead Safeguarding Partners (LSPs) hold overall accountability for the multi-agency child safeguarding arrangements in their local area. The Lead Safeguarding Partners are the Chief Executives of Local Authorities, Chief Executives of the ICBs and Chief Officers of police forces. The LSPs for the Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership will meet twice a year to deliver their joint functions as set out in Working Together (2026).
For the Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership, the LSPs are:
- Catherine Howe, Chief Executive Officer, Dorset Council
- Patricia Miller, Chief Executive Officer, Dorset Integrated Care Board (ICB)
- Amanda Pearson, Chief Constable, Dorset Police
The delivery of multi-agency safeguarding functions and processes should be delegated to the Delegated Safeguarding Partner (DSP). Working Together (2026) sets out that the DSP should be sufficiently senior to be able to speak with authority, take decisions on behalf of the LSP and hold their sectors to account.
For the Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership, the Delegated Safeguarding Partners are:
- Paul Dempsey, Executive Director – People, Children, Dorset Council
- Pam O’Shea, Interim Chief Nursing Officer, NHS Dorset
- Mark Callaghan, Assistant Chief Constable, Dorset Police
The delegated responsibilities of the LSP’s will be delivered by the DSPs through the Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership Board (previously Strengthening Services Board prior to 1 April 2025) for the Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership, which the DSPs attend. These meetings take place 6 weekly and are chaired by the LSP for the Local Authority.
Sitting beneath the Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership Board is the Multi-Agency Quality of Practice and Action Group (MAQPAG) which will drive the activity of the Partnership’s sub-groups as well as being informed of the work of the sub-groups.
The Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership’s sub-groups are outlined below:
| Core Functions | |
| Dorset Child Safeguarding Practice Review Groups | Reviews all serious incidents involving children and young people where abuse and neglect is suspected, commissions Child Safeguarding Practice Reviews (formerly SCRs) and individual multi-agency case reviews to gather and disseminate multi-agency learning. |
| Task and Action Group (TAG) | The Task & Finish Action Group delivers on activity commissioned by the Dorset MAQPAG and the Dorset CSPR sub-group, and this can include development/revisions of local policies, procedures or multi-agency toolkits, as well as implementation of updated training requirements. |
| Family Advisory Board | A Family Advisory Board is currently being formed which will be a key part of the Dorset Safeguarding Children Partnership arrangements, in terms of ensuring the voice and experiences of families are informing the Partnership arrangements, and this forum will offer support to families with social care involvement. |
| Education Safeguarding Board | The Education Safeguarding Board has strategic oversight of the local education system. |
| Pan-Dorset and Somerset Child Death Overview Panel (CDOP) | Combined with Somerset area from August 2018, this group carries out the statutory requirement to review the deaths of all children Pan-Dorset/Somerset to identify any modifiable factors and disseminate local/national learning from these. |
| Thematic | |
| MASH Operational Group | This group reviews the multi-agency safeguarding hub arrangements to ensure that these are effective across the Dorset Council local authority area. |
| Extra-Familial Harm Tactical Group | Facilitates the tactical response in the Dorset Council area to children and young people at risk of, currently experiencing, or causing, harm outside of their family environment. |
The Partnership will commission additional Task and Finish Groups to carry out specific projects or pieces of work as required. These will often be related to the Partnership’s current priority areas or arise in response to findings from reviews completed.
